Rocket launcher



1950 l A. RIVCHARDS ETAL 2,532,

BY FREDE 10K 0. I D L TTTTTT EY Dec. 5, 1950 1.. A. Riel-Imus ETALROCKET LAUNCHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1945 ATTORNEY INVENTORSLORENZO A. RIGHA .-?D$

FREDERICK 0. L/IVDl/ALL X9 075;.

Dec. 5, 1950 L. A. RICHARDS ETAL ROCKET LAUNCHER Filed Aug. 13, 1945 3Sheets-Sheet 3 k Qt INVENTORS LORENZO A. RICHARDS FREDERICK G Ll/VDVALLjflam ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1950 ROCKET LAUNCHER Lorenzo A.Richards, Riverside, and Frederick C. Lindvall, Aitad'ena, Calif.,assignors to the United States of America as represented by theSecretary of the Navy 2 Ciaims.

This invention relates to barrage rocket launchers, and moreparticularly to a novel device for guiding and directing the initialtravel of rocket devices.

An object of the invention is to provide a demountable rocket launcherwhich comprises a pluralityof interchangeable rocket guiding units somounted that the number of units may be readily increased or decreased.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rocket launchercomprising base members attached to a. platform, and a plurality ofrocket guiding units which may be readily assembled on the base membersand disassembled without tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rocket launcher which isparticularly adapted for installation on the narrow decks of landingcraft or tank lighters.

A further object of the invention is to provide a barrage rocketlauncher particularly adapted to launch electrically fired rockets ofthe type disclosed in the copending patent application of Charles C.Lauritsen, Ser. No. 481,645, filed April 2, 1943 now patent No.2,469,350.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 i a perspective view of one form of the rocket launcher mountedon the deck of a landing craft;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the rocket guiding units;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation view of the unit shown in Fig. 2 with arocket device shown in launching position by dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is an end view of one of the units shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2- showingthe electrical contact assembly;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the end supporting structure;

Fig. '7 is a, side elevational view of the support shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the basesupport for the rocket guiding units, showing fragmentarily one rocketguiding unit in a locked position and another in its unlocked position.

embodiment of our invention herein illusnarrow strip of decking llseparated from the cargo space of the craft by a wall l2.

Appiication Augnstl3, i845, Serial No. 610,656

The barrage rocket launcher is mounted along decking strip ii on a pairof longitudinally ex-- tending angle members i 3 secured to the decking.The angle members have a series of spaced keyhole slots [4 arranged inpairs for mounting a plurality of rocket guiding units it as shown bestin Figs. 1 and 8.

Each unit i5 is formed of two adjacent pairs of L-shaped rail members l6(Fig. 4) the rail members of each pair facing each other and the twoinner members positioned back to back. Cross members I? are joined tothe horizontal or shorter legs of the rail members and hold the railmembers in proper position to form a pair of rocket guiding tracks. Theextremities of the horizontal legs of the rail members are turnedupwardly to form flanges l8 while the extremities of the verticai orlonger legs of the rail members are turned inwardly to form flanges [9.The edges of the flanges i3 and E9 of each track define points on acircle and thereby provide four-point support for a rocket projectile,as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4..

The rocket projectiles illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and i are morecompletely described in the above 'ientioned patent application, butcomprise generally an electrically ignited rocket motor A provided withtail fins B which carry a pair of ring members C and D, one of which isgrounded and the other of which is insulated. The rings are electricallyconnected to opposite terminals of an electrical igniter within therocket motor.

In order to ignite the rocket motor, the cross member I? at the lowerend of the rocket guiding unit carries a rigid grounding contact 20 foreach track and a spring mounted live contact 25a, as shown in Figs. 2and 5. These engage, respectively, the grounded ring C and insulatedring D of rocket motor on the track. The flanges 18 and I9 are cut awayat 2! to clear the insulated ring D, the rear end of the rocketprojectile being supported by the grounded ring C which serves both as astop and as a contact.

The lower end of each rocket guiding unit, that is, the end carrying thecontacts 29 and 20a, is provided with lateral journal pins 22 extendingbeyond the rail members ['6 and flattened on two sides to fit into thekeyhole slots H! of the angle members It, as shown best in Fig. 8. Theslots are so shaped that the pins may be placed therein when the rocketguiding unit is vertical, and look into the slots when the unit isinclined.

The upper end of each rocket guiding unit provided with a pair ofpivotally mounted spacer arms 23. A cross bar 24 is welded to the under.side of each unit a short distance from its upper :29 or extended endand projects laterally beyond the edges of the unit to engage holes 25in the spacer bars. Retainer pins 26, attached by chains 21 to the arms23, fit into holes 25a in the extremities of the cross bar 24 to securethe parts together. The length of arms 23 and the distance between slotsI 4 in base members l3 are such that the rocket guiding units aremaintained in parallel relation to each other.

The end unit IE1; is exactly like the other units and is supported by anend frame 28, shown in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. The end frame is provided atits lower end with pins 29 which fit into slots 30 provided in anglebrackets 3| secured to the decking forward of the angle members [3, theslots 39 being shaped to receive the end frame in an angular positionand lock said frame to thelmembers l3 when swung upright in the positionillustrated.

The upper end of the end frame 28 is provided with rigid, upwardlyextending arms 32 of channel section which slidably receive the spacerarms 23 of the end unit l5a. The arms 32 are mounted on the frame 23 bymeans of a cross bar 33 carried by the upper end of frame 28 and havingextremities which project into the lower ends of the arms 32 and fitinto the holes 25 of the spacer arms 23 0f the forward unit a.

When assembled as shown in Fig, l, the several rocket guiding unitsaredirected upwardly and forwardly in parallel relation, each unit beingsupported at its upper end by the adjacent forwardly positioned unit andwith the forwardmost unit 15a supported by frame 28.

To install the launcher, the pins 29 of the end frame 29, are slipped inan inclined position into the slots 39 of the bracket members 31permanently attached to the deck, and are then rotated to a verticalposition. In this position the pins 2'9 are locked in the slots 39. Thepins 22 of the forward rocket guiding unit 55a are then slippedvertically into the slots M and the unit rotated forwardly. In theforwardly inclined position the pins 22 lock in the slots 16. The spacerarms 23 are fitted in the channels 32 and over the ends of cross bar 33,the connection of these arms with the unit 15a being loose enough topermit the required spreading m ovement.

After insertion of the pins 26 in the ends of the cross bar 33, theforward rocket guiding unit is securely held in a forwardly inclinedposition.

The pins 22 of the succeeding projector units are inserted in the slots14 and their spacer arms fitted over the ends of the cross bar 24 offthepreceding unit. If it is necessary to clear some obstacle on theplatform, extension arms 34 may be used as shown in Fig, 1 and one pairof slots I4 is left unused.

It will be observed that, except for securing the angle members 13 andthe brackets 3 l which may be permanent fixtures, these units may bequickly assembled or disassembled without tools and under adverseconditions. For example, less than thirty minutes is required to installon a landing craft a forty-four unit launcher and load it witheighty-eight rockets. Each rocket guiding unit is comparatively lightand capable of being handled by one man. Furthermore, when not in use,the rocket guiding units nestle compactly so that they may be stored ina limited space.

A two-lead conductor, not shown, is provided for each rocket guidingunit for connecting the contacts .20 and 29a to a suitable electricalnetwork and apparatus for controlling the firing of the rocketprojectiles from the different projector units.

We claim:

1. A rocket launcher comprising an elongated horizontal base havinglaterally spaced and confronting flanged uprights, bracket members invirtual continuation of the uprights but spaced beyond one extremity ofthe base, an end frame erected from said bracket members, a plurality ofrocket guiding units supported on the base, each of the units having atone of its ends pins by which it is journaled in the flanged uprightsfor turning into a tilted position, means securing the top of the endframe to the nearest unit to establish the amount of. tilt, andinterconnections between said nearest unit and the succeeding units tosupport the latter in parallelism to said nearest unit.

2. A rocket launcher comprising a horizontal base having laterallyspaced and confronting flanged uprights with transversely paired keyholeslots enterable at the upper edges of the uprights, a plurality ofrocket guiding units having journal pins protruding laterally of thelower ends of the units, being flattened to enter the slots for turningtherein for the assumption by said units of tilted positions inreference to the base, an end frame having supporting means spacedbeyond one extremity of the base, said frame having the nearest tiltedunit attached to it, and interconnections at and between the tops of.the

units and the top of the end frame providing a mutual parallel supportbetween the units and maintaining the tilted positions thereof.

. LORENZO A. RICHARDS.

FREDERICK C. LINDVALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 573,353 Potts Dec. 15, 18961,301,820 Clinger Apr. 29, 1919 1,790,873 McBride Feb. 3, 1931 OTHERREFERENCES Coast Artillery Journal, pages 42 and 43, July- August 1943,

Popular Mechanics Magazine, pages 1 and 2, March 1945.

